I am writing this letter to give you another special vote of thanks for all you have done in reprinting so many of A.A.’s key historical books—particularly those by A First Century Christian Fellowship (later known as the Oxford Group) group of highly skilled Christian activist authors, often recovered alcoholics, who “found” God, were cured of alcoholism and had their lives changed.

I’m publishing this thank you for several reasons.

As a participant in our International Christian Recovery Coalition, and one who has also participated in our investigative research in St. Johnsbury, you are rendering a very special service that not only glorifies God, but also makes known his power, love, and healings as set forth in the Bible and applicable to all sickness, particularly alccholism.

These are the books which contributed the very language that Bill Wilson incorporated into his new version of the A.A. program when he published the first edition of the Big Book in 1939.
They were eagerly sought out and often purchased at a high price by those of us who were able to recognize the language of the authors in many pages of Bill W.’s writings. And, of course, Bill was far more involved with the Oxford Group from 1934 to 1937 and then in 1938 and 1939 with Rev. Sam Shoemaker than almost anyone in early A.A. including Dr. Bob.

You have generously donated many of these books to places which make them available to AAs and those in recovery all around the world. You donated a number of copies to the Dr. Bob Core Library at North Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury when we were all there dedicating the library and rounding up mounds more A.A. history about Dr. Bob, his family, his church, his excellent training in the Bible, his participation in Christian Endeavor and YMCA activities as a youngster, and his rigorous Bible study and church attendance while at St. Johnsbury Academy.

A word to others. Tuchy has just started chemotherapy for abdominal cancer; and our heart goes out to him in prayers, good wishes, and miracle affirmations. We ask the same of those who read this letter.

Tuchy’s latest reprint effort is Victor Kitchen’s Believing in False Gods: I Was A Pagan in which Kitchen (an avid Oxford Group member, Christian, friend of Sam Shoemaker’s, and friend of Bill W.) spelled out how he moved from idolatry to Jesus Christ, changed his life, and was cared of smoking and alcoholism. May all those who read this book profit from it as much as I did when I was researching and writing my landmark book, The Oxford Group & Alcoholics Anonymous: A Design for Living That Works, 2d ed, http://www.dickb.com/Oxford.shtml.

I particularly cherish the last line of this reprint where Kitchen wrote: “My thanks to the Oxford Group who led me to Christ, and to Christ Who is leading me to God.”

This sentence is the epitome of First Century Christianity in action. And it more than justifies the name “A First Century Christian Fellowship” adopted by Frank Buchman and his friends in the early 1920’s, and the name “Christian Fellowship” adopted by the early Akron A.A. Christians who founded A.A. in Akron in 1935.

God Bless you, and keep you, Tuchy

Dick B.

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About mauihistorian

Uses pen name Dick B.: Writer, Historian, Retired attorney, Bible student, CDAAC, and active and recovered A.A. member with over 25 years of continuous sobriety. Published 42 titles and over 650 articles on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Christian Recovery Movement. www.dickb.com